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Tag: gunpla boom
The ’80s Mechanical Designer Who Left Early: Akira Kagami
A quick look at a little known mechanical designer turned manga artist.
Gunpla Boom Ephemera: Kunio Okawara’s Gouf Lady
With the gunpla boom riding high and Bandai rolling out its new Mobile Suit Variations series, original Gundam mechanical designer Kunio Okawara tried his hand at sculpting an original garage kit.
Stream•Base: Riding the Gunpla Boom in the Early Days of Gundam Model Mania
The gunpla boom of the early ’80s saw an explosion of interest in mecha modeling and provided unprecedented opportunities for a group of model enthusiasts that dubbed themselves “Stream•Base.”
Look Both Ways! Railway Crossing Warrior Shadan
During the gunpla boom of the early ’80s, giant robots were everywhere… even safety campaigns for kids. Meet Japan National Railways’ Gundam doppelganger, Railway Crossing Warrior Shadan.
Bandai, The Post-Gundam Wave, and the Year 1985
With the gunpla boom in decline and TV robot anime losing its luster, in 1985 Bandai began to look for new ways to embrace older fans and early otaku.
Catch the Dougram Diorama Caravan
In the midst of the gunpla boom, Takara slapped some Dougram decals on a van and toured Japanese hobby shops to promote their model kits and encourage kids to create their own mecha model dioramas.
Direct-to-Video Model Kit Movies: The S.F.3.D Nutrocker Video
At the end of the gunpla boom, Hobby Japan and Nitto teamed up to release a direct-to-video short film based on Kow Yokoyama’s model kit and photonovel series, S.F.3.d.